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Action Research Project - Collecting plastic

Our goal for this project is to make use and profit out of plastics that would have cost us money otherwise.

Why are we pursuing this goal?

We are pursuing this goal because it is much eco-friendlier to make use of what was already processed than to send it who knows where. Also, so much recycling is wasted when food or other such products are thrown into the recycling bin. This is leads to being able to reuse so much less materials.

How will we achieve this goal?

We will achieve this goal by spreading plastic bottles and containers around the school that we will then ship to a company called PVC Enterprise who will buy it from us, based on how much and what type of plastic we have. This company makes use of all the plastic they receive, creating minimal to no waste.

Who will be doing what?

Eric: Designing posters for the containers

Marco and Kevin: Taking care of campaign to spread the news

Laurent and Xavier: Collecting the plastic every day

Is our timeline for completion realistic?

From this day, we have 20 days to do this work. I believe it is a feasible task as once the bins are set, all we have to do is collect them for a week and get them inspected and sold.

What are potential impacts of such a project?

This project will help reduce everybody’s carbon footprint as we will be wasting less resources and making profit. This means that there won’t have to be as much items produced by companies which play a big part in global warming. As a species, we consume much more than we are supposed to and much more than we have to.

How much will the project cost?

For the cost it will only be printing the posters to put on the containers. Once we assemble all the plastic collected, we will call PVC Enterprise, a company based in Ontario, who will buy our plastic from us, free of charge.

Where will the funding come from?

We have our $50 to start with and some of the money generated by the magic trick and the video game tournament groups.

How many hours will we need to invest?

The time invested will be used to collect the plastic bottles and containers bins and to contact the companies who will buy the plastics.

What materials and support will we need?

We will need to school recycling and their permission to add the plastic bottles and containers and take the recycling. Which we already have, we talked to Suzie Cooper and then her boss about our project.

Do we show adequate research to support our claims?

Sources are stated at the end

Do you need to follow any rules or seek permission to carry out this project? If so, who do we need to speak to? Do we have that contact information?

We have already spoken with Champlain and we have permission to do so, specifically with Suzie Cooper and her boss.

Addressed concerns:

The school already supplied us with 7 recycling bins that were not previously in use and we have already spread them out across the school during free block. The reason why we need these bins is because they will be specifically used for dumping plastics, that we will then send to PVC Enterprise so that they can reuse them and make use of the material however they wish. This will reduce the complexity of the project and make it easier to complete within the given time frame. Sure, we cannot guarantee that all of the stuff thrown in these new bins will all be plastic, but at least the posters that we put up above them as well as the poster that we sent to Dave in order to be advertised on the school screens (saying that these bins are for plastic only) will ensure that we get a bigger percentage of the material we want (plastic) in our bins compared to the regular recycling bins that people throw paper and aluminum cans into. Thus, these bins are essential because they will likely facilitate our task afterwards.

Our goal is not to “spread plastic bottles and containers all around the school”. In fact, what we want to do is make sure that more people throw away their plastic bottles and containers in the right place instead of making it go to waste in the garbage. Also, the fact that we will be selling the collected plastic bottles to a company that will pay us for them and reuse them will not only allow the plastics to be put back into circulation instead of being thrown away into dumps, it will also allow us to make some money off of these recycled plastics that we can then donate to the Champlain Go Green foundation. Really, it’s a win-win for everybody, and that is why we modified our project.

Based on newly acquired information from the company that we were able to contact just recently, the estimated selling price for our plastic bottles and containers (a.k.a. the price at which they are willing to buy from us) is about 50 cents/kg. Assuming we are able to collect as much as 1000 pounds of plastic (our previous goal with Ecodot), which is equivalent to about 450 kg of plastic, we would be making a total profit of 225$. Considering the fact that we are no longer paying for the shipping (PVC Enterprise comes to pick it up), this seems like a fair amount that we will then be able to donate to the Champlain Go Green foundation. Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will be able to collect that much, and if not, we still have no actual cost for the project (except for the posters we printed), so any profit at all is good in our opinion.

Comments

The project itself is a great idea and it seems organized enough for it to become possible. My suggestions would be to make sure the word spreads in the college for the new bins, because if not some people might not notice their location and not recycle their bottles the way they should. Also, before giving back the extra money to the Champlain Go Green Foudation, it would be nice to see if that money could be used to help with other projects (such as the green parking project...). Anyhow, it is a great idea which is going to have a good impact for our environment.

Hicham & Gianni: We generally found this proposal to be solid all round. We love the concept and it was clear and well thought out the whole way through. You guys seem really prepared and we would love to fund you with the magic show profits. We think this project has great potential. In fact, the potential is so great, maybe we can convince the teacher, for bonus marks, to try and convince other schools to start this eco-friendly trend. We think that instead of having this project last a week, you should make it last forever. Convince the school that they should leave the bins there and have water bottles and other plastics collected to be sent off to this recycling company. Overall, great job lads, we are really impressed with this idea and how elaborate and well thought out it is.

The project itself is a great idea and it seems organized enough for it to become possible. My suggestions would be to make sure the word spreads in the college for the new bins, because if not some people might not notice their location and not recycle their bottles the way they should. Also, before giving back the extra money to the Champlain Go Green Foudation, it would be nice to see if that money could be used to help with other projects (such as the green parking project...). Anyhow, it is a great idea which is going to have a good impact for our environment.

I think this will cost a lot of money since you need to pay for the shipping to the company in Ontario. If the company would pay for the shipping then it would be free of charge to make the bins since you are getting the money from different groups. If you can try to convince the company in Ontario to pay for the shipping of the plastic or find another company that can be closer to do it, then it would be a better idea.

The project seems to be very good and well organized. There is reliable information that support the idea. The project is realistic. It respects the timeline. Also, the tasks are divided equally. The impact on the environment is well considered.
It looks feasible and I think you will have success for this project. The money earned could go for others projects.
It is a great plan and good luck.

First of all, what is interesting and different in this project is that an environmentally friendly gesture is made advantageous by the possibility of profit. Thus, such a project is more viable since, by directly profiting the school, it is rendered more attractive to the participants who usually seek personal benefice in action.

Also, recycling is an easy way to participate in reducing footprint, as it does not necessitate much effort, and consumes less energy than transforming plastic.

First of all, I didn't knew they were companies doing that kind of action (buying used plastics for usual people and transforming it into something knew) and I think it is really good. It gives a new life to some plastics that would otherwise have end up somewhere where it could have been a threat to the environment.
Also, it creates a knew economic circle that makes people get some money back from some of the goods the bought. Besides, this could threatened the fact that scientists and environmentalists are trying to make people buy goods that have the least quantity of useful plastics in the packages. If people know that they can get some money back from it, maybe they will stop caring about it.
But, it is surely helping the planet a lot in reducing pollution and global footprint by reusing, which is one of the best ways to reduce pollution. We all feel sad (I hope) when we see picture of plastic islands in the oceans, and fish, turtles, sharks or any other specie living in the ocean, dead trapped in some kind of plastic part that must be coming from a dump somewhere.
I think any possible action we can make to help in reducing plastic waste is welcomed by everyone. Your ideas are good.
One thing I would like to know is how much better it is that putting our bottles in a recycling can, since you'll need to pay for the shipping (which also will produce CO2 emission) and that it requires more management than simply using usual recycling cans?

This project has a great goal, as many people do put their "plastic waste" to the garbage. Therefore, it can have a significant impact. However, for it to have an even greater impact, the awareness campaign linked to the project should try to reach out to the most students possible. Indeed, this would result in the fact that the people who were putting all of their waste in the garbage will put their plastic in the right bins, not only those who already did it. Thus, if enough energy is put in doing a good campaign, it would imply more plastic in your bins, and more profits. This can be done by using the TVs, and also by putting a message in the facebook page Change In Green (another project, that will try to reach out to the most people possible by social media). Also, making the bins more "catchy" than the other might help (or at least well labeled), as people will be sure where to put their plastic.

Your project seem indeed feasible in 20 days and you also seem very well organized, as you already have reliable information and all the permissions you need in your possession. The concept of collecting bottles and selling them to a company which reuses them is interesting because it's a good way to encourage recycling and to make people throw their bottles and containers in the right place. It really has a good potential because if you succeed on implementing this project in the school for the long run, the profit generated by the sold bottles could be used by the school for many other purposes. It's a good idea to put posters on or above the containers : by making them as attractive and as visible as possible, it will certainly help people to notice them and it will be more encouraging to use them. You could also try to decorate the containers, much like the recycle bins all around the campus, so they can draw attention and stand out.

I think the project itself is a really good idea. You're right, too many people in our society keep on throwing waste in the recycling bin. However, I find that your goal is not clear and a bit inappropriate. The main goal is not to make a profit out of recycling but to encourage people to think before throwing their waste. Profit is the result of your hard work for this cause. Moreover, you could reduce the cost of printing by using your printing credit, and also by using the unused paper near the printer at the library. I noticed that you also plan on selling your plastic to a company in Ontario. However, I wonder the reasons for not dealing with a local recycling company. If ever you don't collect enough plastic, you can still go to the supermarket. Lastly, don't forget that it does not really matter the amount of recycling you collect. What matter is that less waste and more plastic is thrown in the recycling bin. To conclude, you have a really interesting project and I encourage you to keep it up!

I think the project itself is a really good idea. You're right, too many people in our society keep on throwing waste in the recycling bin. However, I find that your goal is not clear and a bit inappropriate. The main goal is not to make a profit out of recycling but to encourage people to think before throwing their waste. Profit is the result of your hard work for this cause. Moreover, you could reduce the cost of printing by using your printing credit, and also by using the unused paper near the printer at the library. I noticed that you also plan on selling your plastic to a company in Ontario. However, I wonder the reasons for not dealing with a local recycling company. If ever you don't collect enough plastic, you can still go to the supermarket. Lastly, don't forget that it does not really matter the amount of recycling you collect. What matter is that less waste and more plastic is thrown in the recycling bin. To conclude, you have a really interesting project and I encourage you to keep it up!

I believe your project is a very interesting and good one. You seem to be well prepared and have already talked with the people you need permissions from. Time wise, just like you said you have most likely the necessary time but you have to be well organized since for some it'll be daily routine for 20 days (For the plastic gathering for example). Though, if you keep to your planning I can see your project successful, so thumbs up to you and good luck!